Watching Cable TV is becoming less and less common with Netflix’s and Hulu’s increasing popularity among the younger generation. With YouTube videos such as vlogs and “Let’s Play”s, as well as Facebook videos gaining a wider audience, the TV industry is at risk. With all this competition, TV shows are easier than ever to watch on every device. We wanted to know which TV shows are most watched among middle schoolers at BSGE. Here, we’ve highlighted several of the shows voted most popular in our survey.

Rick and Morty is an animated show that follows the adventures of a scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty. The show started as a Back to The Future parody and evolved into its own full fledged show. The show has had two seasons with a third season in the works for late 2016. The show has met with critical acclaim for its witty humor and tackling some very dark themes in a lighthearted way. Lars Smeland ’20 said, “Rick and Morty is a great show that I would recommend to people who like Doctor Who and Back to the Future. The art is very simplistic and the show has a colorful supporting cast.”

Friends is the oldest show on this list, and it still holds the critical acclaim it received from day one. The show follows a group of friends living in Manhattan as they develop their relationships with each other to truly understand what it means to be a friend. “I think what really made me like Friends was the perspective it gave into adult life in New York,” explained Mohammed Rahman ’20. “It was really effective at showing the roller coaster of emotions in friend groups. It also did really well in combining comedy in each episode, and you could tell that the episodes were pretty nuanced. Plus, who doesn’t love sitcoms?” Sofija Obradovic ’20 added that “the acting is great but the show itself is hilarious, even after 10 seasons. It is by far one of the best shows American TV has ever had to offer.”

Sherlock is a show about crime, death, and a high-functioning sociopath. Ex-militant John Watson becomes the flatmate of consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the show, Sherlock and John battle consulting criminal Moriarty, and the show develops the drastic changes in Sherlock’s relationship with friends and family. While each episode is like a mini-movie (about 90 minutes long), it is considered one of the most defining shows of the 21st century.

Hunter X Hunter is an anime about a boy named Gon Freecss, who in his childhood was told that his father died. However, he soon discovers that his father is still alive and has a profession as a Hunter, someone who tracks down a variety of rare places, animals, or people. The show follows Gon as he becomes a Hunter himself, and vows to find his father. The show is considered one of the best anime to date. Like most anime, the show started from a manga, and the first show aired in 1999, and ended in 2001. The show was revived in 2012 and 148 episodes were produced as a revival to the original manga. Any anime fan should watch this show, and it is classic.

Ask almost any anime fan, and they’re almost certain to have heard about Fullmetal Alchemist. Often voted as the all time best anime, FMA: Brotherhood is an action-adventure anime where soldiers of the fantastical country of Amestris use alchemy as superhuman powers. It follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, in their journey to regain their human forms that they had lost when they broke alchemy’s biggest taboo: human resurrection. Fullmetal Alchemist may have a typical anime archetype, but it’s the themes of corruption, faith, friendship, and the consequences of choices for the greater good that make it such a captivating series. Even with awesome action sequences, the show still manages to convey the cruelty and impact of war and violence, and makes sure to show that no side of war is entirely good or entirely evil. Overall, the combination of lovable characters, a lot of action, and a suspenseful and powerful plotline, make Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood a series that every fan of anime (and otherwise) should watch.